With the return to Arrakis drawing ever closer, a report from Collider has confirmed that actor Tim Blake Nelson has joined the already impressive cast of Dune: Part Two, slated for release on Nov. 3. The role he plays, however, has not yet been disclosed.
Nelson is a longtime actor best known for his roles in movies such as the southern comedy O’ Brother Where Art Thou? (2000), in which he plays an escaped convict alongside George Clooney. Leaves of Grass (2009) which he wrote, directed and starred in, and later in the limited HBO sci-fi drama series Watchmen (2019) as the enigmatic character Looking Glass. His versatility across genres and on the other side of the camera proves that he was chosen intently for a significant role in Dune: Part Two. He joins fellow Hollywood heavyweight newcomers Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, Austin Butler (Elvis) as charismatic villain Feyd-Rautha, and Florence Pugh (Black Widow) as Princess Irulan, daughter of the Emperor.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
As to what character he could possibly be playing, with the sheer scale of Dune’s character roster, it’s not easy to tell. However, IMDB lists the actor in the ‘Top Cast’ section, meaning his role will undoubtedly be important. Audiences will likely find out soon enough once the first trailer for the sequel drops, which with the film debuting this November, should be sooner than we think.
Expansion of the Cast and the Dune Universe
The addition of Tim Blake Nelson to the sequel’s cast begs the question of how many more surprise additions we can expect in the months to come. Given how director Denis Villeneuve has carefully tailored the gargantuan story of Dune to play out as eloquently and effectively as possible on screen, it has been an exciting chess game of what he picks and chooses. It’s all inevitably led to some concessions on not just the literal scale of the story’s universe, politics, and all-encompassing lore but, ultimately, what characters will grace the big screen. In addition, the pacing of the film can make for difficult decisions on copious source material.
However, we already have abundant hope in the form of the announced HBO series Dune: The Sisterhood, a prequel set a whopping 10,000 years before the events of the first novel/movie. It will dive into the history and origin of the mysterious and powerful Bene Gesserit, the exclusive sisterhood that trains to obtain certain superhuman powers such as The Voice, which audiences got to experience somewhat in the first film. Villeneuve will be back to executive produce the project alongside Alison Schapker, assuring it will be in talented, familiar hands.
Should The Sisterhood perform well, it will be interesting to see if even more potential ideas for Dune-related television series come to the pitching block to further bolster the expansion of the Dune Universe on screen, and give Frank Herbert’s enrapturing sci-fi epic all the screentime it deserves.
